


Intuition

by talesoffangirl



Series: Brothers AU [2]
Category: Tales of the Abyss
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, BigBrother!Asch, Domestic Fluff, Gen, Guy is a good friend who helps Asch find some chill, LittleBrother!Luke, Mindless Fluff, Siblings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-15
Updated: 2017-03-15
Packaged: 2018-10-05 10:43:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,220
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10305155
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/talesoffangirl/pseuds/talesoffangirl
Summary: He was screaming. Guy was pretty sure it was frustration gradually leaking out of him and not an attempt to be heard over the also-screaming baby. Asch’s shouting most likely wasn’t helping much, and was instead only serving to terrify the infant and cause him to cry harder. Guy kept this thought to himself. “I fed him, I burped him, I changed his stupid diaper twice! I tried giving him his pacifier but he won’t keep it in his mouth, he won’t pay attention to his rattle and he won’t stop crying!”____Asch is still trying to figure this "big brother" thing out. Guy helps him.***Takes place in the same AU setting as Traditions***





	

**Author's Note:**

> This year's Lorelei Day spectacular, featuring smol big brother Asch and even smoller little brother Luke. Also Guy is here because he's a good friend. 
> 
> Dedicated to Baby Ayden, my beautiful new nephew who was born yesterday!

It was a beautiful night to be awake at two in the morning. The sky was a rich inky black, with faint purple puddles of wispy clouds streaking out overhead. Small dots of twinkling stars were scattered throughout the mass, like sprinkles atop a black frosted cake. A perfectly round full moon completed the picture. A spot of bright white in the sea of darkness. And it was quiet. Practically silent, save for the occasional chime of a cricket or rustle of leaves as the wind whistled by.

Guy took his key from the ignition, tipped his head back, and yawned for all he was worth. His eyes watered from the strength of it. What he wouldn’t give to be back in his apartment, cocooned warmly in his blanket, fast asleep in his bed like he had been just twenty minutes before. He glanced up at the house standing in front of him, the only house on the block with windows tinted orange with light, and sighed heavily. Surely he wasn’t the only one thinking along those lines. Rubbing his hand over his face, Guy clambered out of his car and headed up the driveway.

The door was unlocked, just like he’d been promised. Guy stepped inside, wincing as the sound of a crying child assaulted his ears, a sharp contrast to the previous tranquility of the front yard. He was in the middle of shedding his shoes and hoodie when he caught a movement at the edge of his vision and lifted his head. Asch was standing at the top of the steps, his black nightshirt hanging off of one shoulder and his crimson hair mussed from what clearly was _not_ sleep. The boy’s emerald eyes were hazy and his lips were pulled tight. He looked as tired as Guy felt.

“How long has he been up?” Asch sucked in a large breath, held it, and let it whoosh back out of his lungs.

“Too long.” He turned sharply and stalked back down the hallway from which he’d come. Guy climbed the staircase and followed behind him. The crying became louder and stronger as he walked, and he wondered just what had little Luke in such distress.

Luke was a good baby – or at least, as good as a four month old infant could be. He ate most of his food when he was fed. He didn’t fuss much. It wasn’t hard to put him to sleep. And while he cried his fair share, just like all babies did, he was easily appeased and quieted back down after being given what he wanted. So why the younger Fabre child was awake and crying at such an early hour was beyond him. Guy was actually surprised Asch had even called him. He was by far the best at dealing with Luke, potentially better than their mother even. It was normally no problem for the redheaded boy to figure out what was upsetting his little brother and taking care of it. Guy hoped nothing was seriously wrong; he didn’t want to be the one making a phone call to Suzanne at two in the morning and explaining why he and her sons were currently at the hospital.

Guy poked his head into the nursery. Luke’s room was painted a soft blue, with a white stripe on the wall behind his crib where his name had been carefully spelled out. Stickers of white trees decorated the remaining empty space on the other three walls. More stickers were used for splashes of color: red, green, and yellow birds sitting in the branches of the trees. There was a wooden dresser doused in white to match the room and complimentary shelves filled with small toys and framed photos. A mobile hung over the crib from the ceiling; a ring of birds, squirrels, fawns, and leaves that spun in a slow circle to the clicks of a child’s lullaby. The tune was inaudible tonight. Guy only knew it was on because he could see the animals “running through the leaves” above the child’s mattress. Asch was standing at the crib, peering down at his baby brother as he wailed.

“How long has he been up?” Guy asked again, stepping into the room. The redhead glanced over his shoulder at the clock on the wall behind him.

“Two hours. I heard him start around midnight.”

Luke was apparently not pleased that his older brother’s attention had shifted to something that wasn’t him. He wailed out again, and Guy could see his feet pounding the air through the thick bars of the crib.

“You tried feeding him?”

“Yes.”

“And changing him?”

“ _Yes_.”

“Did you try giving him his pacifier–?”

“Yes!” Asch suddenly whirled to face him, cheeks pink. “Do you really think I would have called you if I _hadn’t_ already tried all that? I don’t know what else _to_ try!”

He was screaming. Guy was pretty sure it was frustration gradually leaking out of him and not an attempt to be heard over the also-screaming baby. Asch’s shouting most likely wasn’t helping much, and was instead only serving to terrify the infant and cause him to cry harder. Guy kept this thought to himself. “I fed him, I burped him, I changed his stupid diaper twice! I tried giving him his pacifier but he won’t keep it in his mouth, he won’t pay attention to his rattle and _he won’t stop crying!”_

A particularly loud burst erupted from Luke. Asch groaned and clamped his hands over his ears, head bowing so his chin touched his chest in defeat. Guy could see all the signs of an exhausted ten year old boy, who was tired and desperate for sleep and whose last desire was to be up at two in the morning taking care of his pain-in-the-butt baby brother. Asch looked like a college student who was up all night studying for an exam early the next morning, when he should have been looking more like a well-rested fifth grader.

The blonde stepped forward and placed his hands on Asch’s shoulders. “Okay, just calm down. You freaking out is making him freak out more, so take a deep breath, and relax.” Asch huffed, still annoyed and frustrated, but obeyed and inflated his chest with air. He repeated his actions from earlier: hold the breath and let it out slowly, the air forcing its way through his half parted lips and emitting a faint whistling sound. Guy gave his shoulders a rub. He could feel the muscles hidden beneath his fingers tense and contract whenever Luke released a howling reminder of his unhappiness. Crouching down to the older redhead’s level, he asked, “When did you feed him last?”

“Almost two hours ago,” Asch offered, more mindful of his volume this time. “I fed him before he fell asleep, so when he woke up crying I thought he was hungry. He drank about half of his bottle.”

“And you remembered to burp him, you said?” An affirmative nod. “All right, and you changed him twice?”

“After he finished eating and before I called you.” Asch found something interesting on the wall to his left and shifted his attention there. “…I didn’t know what else to do. I thought it would make him stop crying.”

“You did fine.” Guy patted the boy’s shoulders a few times before straightening his legs and heading over to the crib. He peered down at the wailing infant inside. Luke had his little hands stretched above his head, fingers closing and opening repeatedly. His feet, tucked warmly away in little red booties, were flailing and kicking, pounding against the mattress and tangling the blanket around his small legs. The baby’s cheeks were as red as his tuft of hair, and his big green eyes were shining with tears. A pale green pacifier and a matching rattle had been shoved into the corner of the crib above Luke’s grabbing hands. When Guy placed the rattle into his hold, however, Luke only offered another scream and dropped it.

“Tried that,” Asch muttered as he padded up to the crib and stood beside the blonde. “He doesn’t want to play with it, and he keeps spitting out his pacifier. I even tried holding it to his mouth to get him to keep it in, but he just cried around it.” The redhead sighed, crossing his arms and leaning against the edge of the crib. “What do you _want_ , Luke?” More crying. More grabby hands. “What, do you want Mother? Mother’s gone. She left with Father and they won’t be back until tomorrow, so you might as well stop crying about it!” He was all but snarling towards the end, and Asch turned away, retreating back to the center of the room. Guy left him alone, knowing that his parents’ frequent leaves for business trips upset Asch more than he would ever admit. The blonde was pretty sure it was Asch himself who truly wanted their mother home.

As the boy walked away, Luke emitted another blood curdling screech. He raised his hands straight upwards, fingers nabbing desperately at the air above him, tears overfilling his eyes and cascading down his cheeks. Guy blinked, and then smiled as he realized just what Luke was so unhappy about.

“You silly little kid.” He undid the latches on the side of the crib and lowered the guard down. He made sure it clicked into place at the bottom before reaching inside. “All right, c’mere, Luke.” The infant’s wandering hands instantly latched onto the cuffs of Guy’s sleeves as he bundled the redheaded child into his arms and lifted him from his wooden prison. Almost immediately, the wails quieted down to sniffles and whimpers. “There you go. All better now, hmm?” Guy turned to face Asch, who was watching the scene wide eyed. He smiled. “He just wanted to be picked up is all.” Asch’s face flushed red, embarrassed that he hadn’t thought of such a simple solution.

“Maybe he just wanted you,” he mumbled bitterly, no doubt nursing a now bruised brotherly ego. “Maybe he was just being as loud and annoying as possible knowing I would call you eventually.”

Guy gazed down at the baby nestled in his elbow. While much calmer, Luke was not yet appeased; tears still ran down his face and his fingers were going haywire, grabbing once more at something that wasn’t there. Or, more accurately, grabbing towards something he wanted.

“Actually, I think you’re the one he wants.”

Asch blinked owlishly. “Me?”

Guy crossed the room to where the redhead stood and bent forward a bit, offering to hand the infant over. Asch hesitated for only a moment before he held his arms out and allowed the blonde to place his younger sibling into his hold. As Asch brought him close to his chest, Luke finally stopped his feeble noises. His big green eyes stared up into those of his older brother. The tears were turned off. His little hand reached up and caught hold of Asch’s shirt, clinging to it tightly. He inhaled deeply, and the two older occupants of the room watched the little body give a slight tremor as the child then exhaled what was presumably the remains of his sour mood. The nursery was almost unnervingly silent now that the crying had stopped. Watching the siblings fondly, Guy smiled and said, “He just wanted his big brother to hold him.”

The older sibling lifted a finger, and gently wiped at the baby’s cheeks, clearing his pinkened skin of moisture. Luke gave a soft coo of acceptance. Asch looked up incredulously. “You mean, babies _know_ that kind of stuff?”

“Of course they do.” Guy chuckled. “He knows you’re his older brother, Asch. He knows who you are. He loves you. He wanted you to love him back.”

The boy’s gaze went back to his little sibling, still tenderly stroking his cheek with the tip of his finger. “…Idiot. Just cause I’m not holding you, doesn’t mean I don’t love you, okay?” Luke raised a chubby hand and grabbed Asch’s finger in a small fist. He offered a quiet cooing noise, but other than that paid the statement little mind. He recognized his big brother’s voice, and that was good enough for him.

“Something might have scared him when he woke up,” Guy suggested as he watched the siblings. “You should probably wait until he falls asleep again before you try putting him back in his crib. In case he gets scared again.”

“Yeah, I will.” Asch looked up at the blonde, and again Guy couldn’t help but notice how exhausted he looked. “…Sorry I called you for something so stupid. I should’ve thought to just pick him up.” Guy reached out and settled his hand atop Asch’s head.

“Don’t worry about it. I wouldn’t have told you ‘call me any time’ if I hadn’t meant it. But.” He crouched down so he was eye level with the redhead. “While I’m old enough to be up at two in the morning and still be all right, you’re not. So after Luke falls asleep, you better get back to bed yourself. Even if you don’t have school tomorrow, you need rest. Okay?”

“Okay.”

Guy smiled, ruffled the boy’s fluffy mess of crimson hair, and stood up. “I’ll let myself out. Stay here with him. Is the spare key where it normally is?” Asch nodded confirmation. “I’ll lock it behind me then. Night, Asch.” He gave Luke’s forehead an affectionate rub with the pad of his thumb. The baby blinked, pausing in his tugging of Asch’s finger, and craned his head back to try and see the culprit. Guy smoothed down the tuft of hair on his head. “Night, Luke.”

“Goodnight, Guy.” The blonde gave Asch a pat on the shoulder before turning and making his way out of the nursery.

Asch watched Guy’s silhouette disappear from the room, watched his shadow bop along the wall until that too disappeared from his sight. He listened as sock-covered feet padded on the wood flooring, the steady sound suddenly halting just moments before the hallway was shrouded in darkness. More footsteps, and then a clicking sound as the living room light was shut off as well. The creaking of the stairs, the scuffling of shoes on the landing, and finally the front door opening and shutting.

He waited until he heard the sound of the lock sliding home before he finally moved. Still carrying Luke, Asch walked back out to the living room, moving to stand in front of the large windows that opened up a view of the yard. He could see the driveway, could see Guy trudging down it to where his car was parked at the bottom. The house was quiet and still and dark. A soft buzz echoed through his head and fizzled in his ears, his auditory senses still not quite caught up with the fact that there was no longer any screaming to be heard. Luke was tucked in his arms, pleased and pacified, entertaining himself with gnawing on his fingers. Asch reached up and gently pulled the tiny hand away from the equally tiny mouth. He let Luke revert back to holding onto his finger, unfazed by the warm feeling of saliva beginning to coat his skin.

Guy had reached his car and climbed into the driver’s seat. Asch heard the hum of the engine starting, saw the headlights light up orange. The blonde peered through the windshield and met his gaze. He waved with a smile. Asch didn’t have a free hand to wave back, but he kept his gaze trained on the figure of his friend as the car backed out of the driveway. Seconds later, the outside of the house was just as dark as the inside, and just as quiet, too.

Asch stood at the window for a while longer, staring out at the empty street, rhythmically rocking the infant in his arms. He felt the grip around his finger loosen and pulled free, positioning Luke’s little hand on his stomach. His brother’s willingness to comply let Asch know he was getting tired once more. “I’m sorry for not seeing that you were scared,” he said, voice silky soft so he wouldn’t startle the child. “I’ll remember for next time, as long as you promise not to scream so loud.” Luke’s eyes fluttered sleepily, his head lolling against Asch’s chest as he melted into the warmth of his big brother’s body. Asch adjusted his hold. “C’mon. Let’s go back to bed.”

He carried his brother back down the hallway and into the nursery, where the gate of the crib was still down. Asch went to place his brother inside, then stopped himself. What had even scared Luke in the first place? What if whatever it was scared him again? He glanced down at the bundle in his arms; Luke was staring back up at him, eyes glazed with drowsiness. “…All right.” Asch straightened up and settled his baby sibling back in place. “Father doesn’t have to know.” He left the nursery, turning the nightlight off with his foot as he passed it.

Luke was fast asleep in his arms by the time Asch walked back into his bedroom. The blankets on his mattress were spilling halfway to the floor, kicked aside in his rush to get down the hall when he’d first heard Luke start crying. Balancing his baby brother carefully against one shoulder, he crouched down and gathered up the fallen covers, throwing them back onto the mattress. Luke snuffled into the crook of Asch’s neck, but didn’t wake up.

The first time Asch had slept with Luke in his bed, he’d been terrified. Terrified that Luke would roll over or shift somehow and fall off the bed. Terrified that _he’d_ roll over and end up accidentally crushing his younger sibling without even realizing it. But nothing had ever happened. Luke always stayed relatively still when sleeping, and somehow Asch did too. He was convinced that being around babies brought out some kind of hidden intuition in people that helped them do things like not roll over in their sleep and crush the baby next to them.

Asch knew how this worked. He set Luke, still wrapped in his blanket, down in the middle of the bed. He grabbed the throw-pillows from under his bed – where he stored them at night when he didn’t need them – and used them to form a wall around his little brother. That done, Asch climbed in himself, careful not to dip the mattress too close to the infant and disturb his slumber. He pulled the blankets back up, only as high as Luke’s chin so his face wouldn’t be covered in his sleep. Luke turned his head to the other side and fit his tiny fist into his mouth, still sound asleep. Watching him made Asch smile.

“You know,” he murmured, reaching out to gently set his hand on the baby’s stomach. “I think I’m getting the hang of this ‘big brother’ thing.”

Luke was silent. Asch pressed a kiss to the top of his head.

He still had some learning to do, but he would get there. Someday, he would be the best big brother ever.

“I promise.”


End file.
